Twin Pleasures (14 page)

“How is she? What happened? Why is she unconscious?” The questions were machine-gun fired, one right after the other, by Liana's sister.

“Gabriella, calm down,” the man coming in from behind her said gently. He went to her and put an arm around her waist to settle her against his side. She leaned on him as they stared down at Liana.

“Gabriella, they gave her morphine for the pain, and that is why she is out of it. She has stitches in her leg, which is bruised, not broken, and bruises on her body. As I said on the phone, she was the victim of a hit-and-run, and the police are still investigating. The sheriff just left and will be calling us as soon as something breaks,” Donavan said.

Gabriella quietly started to cry, and her husband rocked her softly while running a hand up and down her arms.

“By the way, I’m James. We talked on the phone about Majesty originally. I have to ask what is going on here. Why did Liana come with you to the ranch?" Gabriella’s husband asked in a perplexing voice. "I was surprised that she left. She’s not the impulsive type.”

Liana chose that moment to moan and shake her head. Chase, who had stayed by her side, reached over and stroked her arm and hand. He whispered softly to her, saying everything was going to be all right.

Donavan saw how Gabriella and James looked at the two and saw the dawning light that went on. He didn’t want to explain to them exactly what was happening in their sister’s relationship. He crossed to the bed and stood there while Chase calmed an agitated Liana to sleep once again. He wanted to touch her and soothe her but didn’t.

His eyes welled slightly seeing once again the bruises and cuts all over her beautiful body. That she was hurt under their care made him feel responsible, no matter how unreasonable that sounded. He knew he couldn’t keep her in a bubble her whole life, but they needed to be more diligent in their care for her. They were rich men and as such had enemies. While that didn’t bother Chase or himself, Liana being a part of their lives became a vulnerable addition, and theirs to protect.

“I’ll be back in a little while,” he said to them, needing some air and privacy to make some calls.

He turned and walked out of the room, pulling his cell phone from his pocket. His first call to his lawyers lasted seconds while his second call lasted quite a bit longer. By the time he stepped outside the hospital, he had two meetings in place and was satisfied that all that could be done was done. His next call was to Mac to let him know what happened and where they were. He told him what to expect and to let Gertie know.

He walked back into the room with everybody still there, though in different places. Gabriella sat by the bed, and Chase and James were in the chairs along the walls. He caught Chase’s eye and motioned him outside.

He could see Chase was torn and didn’t want to leave, but he finally got up and followed. Donavan quietly explained all that he set in motion and was relieved when his brother agreed with everything. They discussed the way to proceed and finally came up with a plan.

 
By the time they arrived back at the room, the first flowers were being delivered, and a man stood outside the door.

Donavan approached the man with his hand outstretched in greeting.

“Giovanni, thank you for coming so quickly,” Donavan said quietly.

“I was the closest to this location, so Franklin sent me. He had me on a babysitting duty a couple miles from here. He briefly explained what happened and that you would fill me in with details.” The Italian accent could barely be heard as he shifted away from the door. The slight movement was in response to a doctor about to walk into the room. The doctor froze with his hands on the door and turned toward the man. There was no discernable reason, except the subtle emission of danger that seemed to surround Giovanni.

“Donavan?” Giovanni asked.

“Giovanni, this is Dr. Hamen. He is Liana's main doctor. Dr. Hamen, this is Giovanni, Liana's bodyguard. He will be in charge of security for Liana,” Donavan said to the doctor.

“Hmmm, okay. Then, young man, can I please go in to see my patient?” the doctor asked crisply.

“Yes, Doctor.”

Donavan explained in more detail about the events that had happened. Giovanni asked questions and made a list of all the people in and around Liana that had unlimited access to her. They talked about home security and the team that was, at that moment, installing cameras and sensors around the house.

“Donavan, Franklin will be assembling a full crew for here and the house. He’s calling in some backup for certain jobs and sending me the men I requested. He is also running background checks on all your employees and anybody close to you and Liana. He wanted me to tell you that he will be contacting you tonight.”

“I gave him a few names and will have the rest for him tonight,” Donavan said, reaching for the door.

This was one problem taken care of. Franklin had been the head of security for his father for most of Donavan’s life. He was the one person who he could trust with Liana’s safety. He knew most of the men coming to the house, and that gave him reassurance. He had to remember to give his dad a call. All those years when he and Chase said they couldn’t wait to be out from under the eye of all the scrutiny of their security and now he finally saw the reason behind it.

When another floral delivery arrived, Giovanni stopped the boy and took the arrangement from him. He handed the card to Donavan and carried the flowers inside before returning to the entrance.

Donavan and Chase went to Liana’s bedside and looked down. Her steady breathing reassured his heavy heart as if her very breath sustained him. Chase went over to the unoccupied seat beside her bed and sat.

Donavan went to Gabriella and James, letting them know about the bodyguards and added security. He could tell they had more questions, but he was in no mood. He invited them to stay at the house until Liana was safe to move, and they agreed. He thought Gabriella agreed only to get to the bottom of what was happening with her sister. He understood her concerns but wasn’t going to let her influence Liana out of staying with them.

The overhead announcement signaled the end of visiting hours. When the nurse tried to evict them from the room, she met heavy opposition. Chase was adamant about staying, and the resulting argument had the nurse leaving with the threat of getting the doctor and Liana waking up.

* * * *

Liana looked around the room from under her eyelids, taking in the different scenes. Seeing both the boys alive sent her heart racing. The nightmare of blood and death seem to be just that, a nightmare. Her sister and James being here caused her to frown until she tried to shift her body. The agony radiating out of her leg had her crying out. She took stock in her surroundings and realized she was in a hospital. The nightmare was part real. She remembered the pain of being hit by something.

“Liana, Liana, can you hear me? Liana, look at me.”

She looked up at Chase as he hovered over her and then let her eyes wander over his body, making sure he was okay. She lifted her hand to trace the bandage on his head and couldn’t believe how weak she was with that simple act.

“Kitten, you were hit by a truck, but you're going to be all right. Your leg is hurt, so try not to move it. It’s not broken, though I imagine it feels that way.” Chase’s voice floated over her. She was so happy that he was okay that she didn’t care about herself.

Donavan’s hand was gently petting her other arm, and she rolled her head to look at him. She smiled at him in response to his anxious face. Her attempt to reassure was rewarded in a slight strengthening in his touch.

Her eyes went to the door, where a slight altercation between a doctor and a strange man arose. The man had a firm grip on the doctor’s arm. The doctor took exception to this and started to shout. The pain in her intensified with all the ruckus.

Gabriella's voice pierced the uproar.

“People, you are causing my sister pain with your shouting. Get out.” The angry pregnant woman who confronted the two antagonists was a remarkable sight. She stood a diminutive five foot, five inches and seemed to tower over them with her hand on her hips.

Liana smiled as her sister commandeered the authority in the room and all but ushered the two out.

Donavan followed them out, and the loss was felt. She felt bereft without his touch. To have the two brothers here relieved her mind and settled her fears.

Her sister came to the bedside.

“Gabriella, why are you here? You shouldn’t have driven all this way. What were you thinking?” The attempt to be stern was somewhat lacking with a raspy voice.

“My baby sister in the hospital, please. No one was keeping me away. Plus, we are in a hospital if anything should decide to pop out,” she said, chuckling wickedly.

Liana giggled at the look on Chase’s face at her sister’s odd sense of humor.

“Kitten, how are you feeling?” Chase asked.

“Groggy. Did you get the number of the tank that hit me?” She tried to joke.

It fell short.

“Kitten, the police are looking into everything. You need to concentrate on getting better. The doctor said he will be releasing you tomorrow if everything checks out,” Chase said.

He continued to soothingly stroke her arm up and down. She felt comforted by his presence but missed the added strength of Donavan. She wondered where he was as she fought to stay awake. The last thing she remembered that night was Donavan coming back into the room with the strange man.

Chapter 9

“You are not to try to get up by yourself. We will be here to help you. I will spank your bottom rosy if you disobey me,” Donavan said sternly to her as he arranged the pillows around her head. He lifted the comforter and settled it over her.

“Donavan, the doctor said I should be careful when I walk not to stop walking. I can get to the bathroom on my own.” Liana argued, trying to get him to see reason. She wanted to pull her hair out from all the coddling.

The boys wouldn’t even make love to her in fear of hurting her. She was so frustrated that she felt that at any moment her body was going to explode. The tension gathering inside her was shocking. She had lived years without sex and now five days unfulfilled and she was a mass of sexual need. They didn’t even have the excuse of her sister being here anymore, as Gabriella and James had left that morning. She would miss them but was glad they left so the boys could be with her again. But no! They didn’t want to hurt her. She just had to get them in the right situation and then they wouldn’t be able to deny her.

“The doctor said to be careful. We will help you be careful, Kitten.” This was said with a pat on the hand before he left her.

She wanted to yell at him to get his ass back in here, but held back, thinking of a way to get them both to see reason. She craved them now. They left an empty place inside her that needed to be filled. She wanted them so much.

* * * *

Donavan closed the door and leaned against it. He tried to get the hunger under control. She was hurt for God’s sake. He could smell her arousal but didn’t want the chance of possibly causing her more pain. She made it difficult with the little touches and kisses she gave them both. Many times they had to leave the hospital room to get their erections to disappear. He knew that being home now would intensify the situation, and he cringed at the possibilities.

Keeping their hands off their woman was going to be hell.

Chase was sitting in the office with a glass of whiskey in his hand. Donavan thought a drink would be a great idea and poured himself a stiff one.

“It’s getting harder to be with her without pulling the clothes off that luscious body and fucking it until she screams several times,” Donavan said after taking a long pull of the whiskey.

“She grabbed my dick in the hospital, and I almost did it right then and there,” Chase said mournfully down into his glass.